HOUSTON (AP) — After slugging his first home run with the New York Mets on Friday night, Juan Soto insisted he isn’t burdened by the lofty expectations to perform after signing his record deal.
“Just thinking about what we can do and what we can be capable of doing as a team I think it takes all the pressure off,” he said. “Because we are here. We are the New York Mets. I mean we’re not here as the Juan Soto Mets. We’re here as a team.”
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New York Mets' Juan Soto (22) hits a home run as Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz reaches for the pitch during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, March 28, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Mets' Juan Soto celebrates after hitting a home run against the Houston Astros during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, March 28, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Mets' Juan Soto (22) hits a home run as Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz reaches for the pitch during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, March 28, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Mets' Juan Soto (22) flips his bat after hitting a home run against the Houston Astros during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, March 28, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Mets' Juan Soto (22) celebrates after hitting a home run against the Houston Astros during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, March 28, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Mets' Juan Soto (22) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run against the Houston Astros during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, March 28, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Soto's homer helped the Mets to a 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros.
The shot came in the third. With two outs and no one on, Soto drove a 1-2 pitch from Hunter Brown deep to right to give New York a 3-0 lead.
“It was pretty incredible,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Not easy to do. You’re talking about a pitch that’s out of the strike zone, up and in. I think it’s a cutter 96 and he’s able to turn on it and hit it on a line like that — yeah, amazing.”
The 26-year-old Soto watched the ball as it sailed into the outfield and then slowly started walking toward first base before lightly flipping his bat. The homer traveled 390 feet.
Asked if he knew it was gone right away, Soto grinned and said: “100%.”
His first home run of the season comes after he hit a career-high 41 for the Yankees last season.
“It's always great to have the first one,” he said. “You always want to get the first one out of the way early.”
He smiled slightly as he began to round the bases before pounding his chest and raising both of his hands skyward as he reached home plate.
His big hit came a day after he struck out on a full-count slider from closer Josh Hader that was way outside the strike zone with two on and two out in a 3-1 opening-day loss.
Mendoza wasn't surprised to see Soto bounce back after Thursday's tough ending.
“He’s Juan Soto, he’s gonna come through more times than not,” he said. “What you want is to give him and the guys a chance to win a baseball game. We we did that yesterday and we didn’t get the W. Today, he came in and did what he did. He’s a special player.”
Before that, Soto singled and walked twice Thursday in his Mets debut. The slugger signed a $765 million, 15-year contract as a free agent in December.
Soto struck out on his first at-bat Friday night before homering his second time up.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
New York Mets' Juan Soto (22) hits a home run as Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz reaches for the pitch during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, March 28, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Mets' Juan Soto celebrates after hitting a home run against the Houston Astros during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, March 28, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Mets' Juan Soto (22) hits a home run as Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz reaches for the pitch during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, March 28, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Mets' Juan Soto (22) flips his bat after hitting a home run against the Houston Astros during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, March 28, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Mets' Juan Soto (22) celebrates after hitting a home run against the Houston Astros during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, March 28, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Mets' Juan Soto (22) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run against the Houston Astros during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, March 28, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Constitutional Court will rule Friday on whether to formally dismiss or reinstate impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol — a decision that either way will likely deepen domestic divisions.
The court has been deliberating his political fate after conservative Yoon was impeached by the liberal opposition-controlled National Assembly in December over his brief imposition of martial law that has triggered a massive political crisis.
Millions of people have rallied around the country to support or denounce Yoon. Police said they’ll mobilize all available personnel to preserve order and respond to possible acts of vandalism, arson and assault before and after the court's ruling.
The Constitutional Court said in a brief statement Tuesday that it would issue its ruling at 11 a.m. Friday and that it will be broadcast live.
Removing Yoon from office requires support from at least six of the court's eight justices. If the court rules against Yoon, South Korea must hold an election within two months for a new president. If the court overturns his impeachment, Yoon would immediately return to his presidential duties.
Jo Seung-lae, a spokesperson for the main liberal opposition Democratic Party which led Yoon's impeachment, called for the court to “demonstrate its firm resolve” to uphold the constitutional order by dismissing Yoon. Kwon Youngse, leader of Yoon’s People Power Party, urged the court’s justices to “consider the national interest” and produce a decision that is “strictly neutral and fair.”
Many observers earlier predicted the court’s verdict would come in mid-March based on the timing of its ruling in past presidential impeachments. The court hasn’t explained why it takes longer time for Yoon's case, sparking rampant speculation on his political fate.
At the heart of the matter is Yoon’s decision to send hundreds of troops and police officers to the National Assembly after imposing martial law on Dec. 3. Yoon has insisted that he aimed to maintain order, but some military and military officials testified Yoon ordered them to drag out lawmakers to frustrate a floor vote on his decree and detain his political opponents.
Yoon argues that he didn’t intend to maintain martial law for long, and he only wanted to highlight what he called the “wickedness” of the Democratic Party, which obstructed his agenda, impeached senior officials and slashed his budget bill. During his martial law announcement, he called the assembly “a den of criminals” and “anti-state forces.”
By law, a president has the right to declare martial law in wartime or other emergency situations, but the Democratic Party and its supporters say South Korea wasn’t in such a situation.
The impeachment motion accused Yoon of suppressing National Assembly activities, attempting to detain politicians and others and undermining peace in violation of the constitution and other laws. Yoon has said he had no intention of disrupting National Assembly operations and detaining anyone.
Martial law lasted only six hours because lawmakers managed to enter the assembly and vote to strike down his decree unanimously. No violence erupted, but live TV footage showing armed soldiers arriving at the assembly invoked painful memories of past military-backed dictatorships. It was the first time for South Korea to be placed under martial law since 1980.
Earlier public surveys showed a majority of South Koreans supported Yoon’s impeachment. But after his impeachment, pro-Yoon rallies have grown sharply, with many conservatives fed up with what they call the Democratic Party’s excessive offensive on the already embattled Yoon administration.
In addition to the Constitutional Court’s ruling on his impeachment, Yoon was arrested and indicted in January on criminal rebellion charges.Yoon was released from prison March 8, after a Seoul district court cancelled his arrest and allowed him to stand his criminal trial without being detained.
Ten top military and police officials have also been arrested and indicted over their roles in the martial law enactment.
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Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report.
Police officers stand guard to block an anticipated farmers' march calling for impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 25, 2025.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose his impeachment in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attend a rally to oppose his impeachment in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, March 29, 2025. The letters read "Yoon Suk Yeol's immediate return." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Protesters stage a rally calling for impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, March 29, 2025. The banners read "Dismiss Yoon Suk Yeol." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
FILE - Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol greets his supporters as he comes out of a detention center in Uiwang, South Korea, on March 8, 2025. (Kim Do-hun/Yonhap via AP, File)
FILE - South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, on Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, Pool, File)
A protester wearing a mask of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a march during a rally calling for Yoon to step down in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, March 29, 2025. The banner reads "Dismiss Yoon Suk Yeol." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
